Light-house lamp



.0. WHEELER.

Lamp.

Pg'tentd April 11, 1846.

barren snares ra'rnnr orrron.

CHARLES WHEELER, OF ROCKPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

LIGHT-HOUSE LAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 4,454, dated April 11, 1846.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES WHEELER, ofThatchers Island Light-House, near Rockport, in the State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inLamps or Apparatus for Light-Houses, and that the following descriptionof the same, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings thereof,constitute my specification.

Figure 1, of the drawings above mentioned represents a front elevationof a series of lights as arranged in a light-house. Fig. 2, is avertical section taken through one of the lamp fountains and reservoirunder the same.

A, B, C, D, E, F, Fig. 1 denote a series of burners supported by twocircular horizontal rims or stands, G, H, one of which is placed at asuitable height above the .other; and both are sustained in position bya central and vertical spindle or shaft I, or other convenient means.The oil reservoir K of the lower burners consists of a somewhat curvedand oblong vessel, placed directly under the circular rim G, to which itis fastened, the feeding tubes of the lower burners entering into thesaid reservoir. On the upper side of the lower circular rim G, and overeach oil reservoir thereof, a cylindrical or other proper shaped vesselor fountain L, is placed; the same being connected with the oilreservoir by means of a stop cock M, which has a tube a, fitted upon itsnose or adjutage by means of a screw, or any other suitable contrivancewhich will permit of its elevation and depression; the object of thesame being to raise, or depress, the discharging orifice or adjutage ofthe stop cock; so as to regulate the level of the surface of the oil inthe reservoir, with respeot to the burning surface or part of the wickupon which the flame acts. As the oil generally used in lighthousesvaries in quality, thereby increasing or decreasing more or less thecapillary attraction of the wick, or, its power to elevate the requisitequantity of the combustible fluid to the flame, it becomes necessary,that the altitude of the surface of the oil in the reservoir K, shouldbe capable of adjustment to the burning part of the wick. As thereservoir K, is an air tight or closed vessel, the oil in the auxiliaryfountain flows down through the connecting stop cock and fills thereservoir up to the level of the bottom of the dischargover a small lampN, suitably supportedunderneath one extremity of the oil reservoir. Theupper end of the tube passes out of the top of the fountain, and eitheropens directly into the atmosphere, or it is carried up underneath thebottom of one of the upper reservoirs and terminates at a short distancetherefrom. The heat from the auxiliary lamp passing into the horizontaland vertical tube M, is thereby communicated to the oil in the reservoirand fountain, and thus keeps the same in a sufficiently fluid and heatedstate during the winter. Each of the upper oil reservoirs and fountains,may be similarly provided with a tube and lamp, if deemed necessary; butas this will seldom be required, in lieu thereof, the chimney of each ofthe lower burners may terminate at top in a metallic tube N, whose upperend shall abut or nearly abut against the underside of the upper oilreservoir; or, such a tube may be simply suspended near the chimney andunder the reservoir. The heat escaping from the glass chimney will beconveyed by the said tube directly against the underside of the oilreservoir, and will thus warm the oil therein. Each of the fountains L,has a glass tube or gage suitably affixed to its side; the bottom of thetube opening into the lower part of the fountain. A suitable series ofproper graduations upon the tube will suffice to exhibit the exactamount of oil consumed during any given time. By warming the oil .in theabove manner I am enabled to dispense with stoves or heaters in thelanterns of a light house. As it is well known they are very expensiveon account of the quantity of fuel required to be consumed to preventthe formation and freezing upon the glass windows of condensed vaporsthat greatly obstruct the light from the lantern. Besides the stovesproduce more or less dust, or ashes, which accumulate upon the parabolicmirrors and lighting apparatus to such an extent as to require constantattention of the light keeper to remove the same.

i In order to prevent in winter the formation and accumulation on theglasses and Windows of frozen condensed vap rs, it becomes necessarythat the temperature of the interior of the lantern should be the sameas that of the external atmosphere. But as in order to preventcongelation of the oil a stove or heating apparatus has been foundnecessary to the lantern, the great evil above mentioned derived fromcondensed vapors is attendant thereon. As the oil itself in my improvedapparatus is warmed by the lamp, no stove becomes requisite, andtherefore, a small opening in the lantern to admit the freecommunication of the interior and external air, will keep thetemperature within, the same as Without the lantern.

